Various air seals are provided in turbo-machinery systems between rotating parts and non-rotating parts. Some air seals are used for maintaining gases within a pressurized area while others are used to regulate the flow of air from one area to another.
Sealing between the various components in turbo-machinery is complicated by vibration, high temperatures, and sealing spaces that grow thermally due to operating temperatures.
Metallic seals currently used in turbo-machinery often have difficulty maintaining the seal over the range of thermal expansion during start-up, operating conditions, and shut-down experienced by the power generation system. Existing air seal arrangements in turbo-machinery still suffer from air leaks, which result in a loss of efficiency.
A metallic seal assembly, a turbine component including a metallic seal assembly, and a method of regulating airflow in turbo-machinery that do not suffer from one or more of the above drawbacks would be desirable in the art.